It looked like Ben Simmons was shot out of a cannon. After Avery Bradley curled around a screen and threw a low pass in Tobias Harris’ direction, the ball was still bouncing seemingly harmlessly behind Harris. Not the cleanest start to the play, but still a possession that Harris and the Detroit Pistons could salvage, right?

Nope.

We were skeptical when Brett Brown compared his rookie point guard to Usain Bolt before training camp had even started. He didn’t stutter when describing how Simmons possesses an elite sprinter’s first step-and-a-half, an ability to “get out of the mud.” And that type of stop-start athleticism was never more on display as Simmons beat Harris to the basketball, somehow managed to tiptoe the sideline, and swooped in for a two-handed slam.

Ben Simmons tiptoes down the sideline for the steal and the slam! pic.twitter.com/xl9oQB7Aob

— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) January 6, 2018

Simmons flexed after the...

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